Rita Kassabian is an Armenian composer in Lebanon. She was fascinated by the piano from an early age: from 1996 till 1997, she followed the advice of her mentor and internationally known late pianist Walid Akl who encouraged her to excel in music. She studied piano, harmony, and analysis, then was admitted to Schola Cantorum de Paris (France) in the composition/orchestration class of Patrice Sciortino in September 2001.